Midnight In Bloody Kyoto
by Aeriel of Isternes
Summary: AU Sesshoumaru the cold, tall, heartless one. He strikes without warning or mercy. Inuyasha the young, clever, passionate one. He has never fed on one victim twice. Until now. Inevitably InuKag.
1. Prologue: Blood For Blood

A/N: Warnings: I am doing my best to make Sesshoumaru truly terrifying by the end of this, so watch out, fangirls. Also, the humor will be most apparent in the ballroom scenes and so on- although sometimes I may come through a little in unexpected places.

Prepare for unexpected twists, Kouga stupidity, Inuyasha trying to be charming, and some other not so humorous things.

Hmm. Maybe it will be funnier than I thought at first. But you bet this is going to be scarier and more romantic than 'Rose'- my gosh, that sounds weird. Dracula, more romantic than Erik? Tis a weird world I live in...

Well, the prologue isn't funny, anyway. The humor will just randomly crop up and then vanish, kind of like in Kat Morning's Blood Ties. FABOULOUS Inu/Kag vampire story, that.

Prologue: Blood for Blood

At the top of the ancient castle, the figure of a man stood.

Not much of his face could be seen, as his back was to the moon- only his glittering amber eyes.

His long silver hair whipped behind him chaotically, his two pointed ears standing on top of his head akin to demonic horns.

Inuyasha no Chimamire raised a clawed hand and pointed one sharp fingertip to the east.

"Kyoto." he said aloud.

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In Kyoto, a human female sat in a garden, sighing. She was not yet old enough to be considered a woman, nor so young that she should be called a girl.

For indeed, this female had an exceptional mind. She was fifteen in body, but in spirit, had been so for a good many years.

Her name was Higurashi Kagome.

Higurashi Shigure and Higurashi Suiren, her parents, had been dead for quite some time. To the relief of polite society, Kajishi Touya had taken her in, promising that she would be raised as much a lady as his own daughter, Sango.

Kagome herself was not so relieved.

Sir Kajishi had high standards, and Kagome was by nature an extremely spirited girl. As a matter of fact, it was because of those high standards that Kagome was sitting in the garden at the present moment.

Sir Kajishi had assigned the two ladies a series of difficult mathematical equations, explaining that it was practice for when they were married, and would have to do complicated sums to manage the households.

"But that doesn't make sense." Kagome had said. "Isn't the duty of a wife to look pretty and please her husband?"

Sir Kajishi frowned. "Kagome. I do not know where you thought of such a foul idea, but-"

"I didn't think of it." Kagome interrupted. "Your friend, Sir Moriyama, said so last night."

Sir Kajishi laughed. "Oh, silly Kagome. Sir Moriyama will have his fancies, you should not take him seriously! Sango, will you tell Kagome what a wife's duty is?"

Sango nodded. "Of course, father. A wife's duty is to give her husband an heir, and manage his affairs when he cannot." She paused. "But what you said is also true, with some husbands, Kagome-chan."

"Well I think he should do his own math." Kagome said bitterly.

Sir Kajishi frowned. "Kagome! Go out into the garden, and stay there for a while. I want you to think on why it is that Sango is engaged to Moriyama Miroku, and you have no suitors at all."

Kagome stood up, kicking her chair over. "Fine. But I still wouldn't trade places with your perfect daughter for all the world!"

Looking back on it was what had made Kagome sigh. "I suppose that was a foolish thing to say." she said aloud, not truly believing the words.

Sango was an exceptionally beautiful young lady, seventeen, and in full bloom. Her long laquer-black hair was the envy of the finest ladies in Kyoto, and her eyes, although only brown, were charming, and always sparkling with mirth at all the finest parties. Her hands were finely made, and shone like white lilies.

Sir Kajishi only allowed the finest kimonos for his lovely daughter, and so there was rarely an occasion where Sango did not look as if she had stepped out of the finest scroll painting.

But truly, Kagome did not envy her surrogate sister her fiancee. Moriyama Miroku was the most lecherous young man in all of Kyoto, if not all the prefecture.

True, he was indeed quite charming and handsome, but Kagome disliked his wandering hands.

Kagome's hair was nearly as dark as Sango's but it was only past her shoulders, and not even to her elbows. Her eyes constantly changed shades, and were usally sad or longing. She wore a simple yutaka at the moment.

The strange young lady stood up, and plucked a red rose from the garden.

"I wish someone else would come to Kyoto." Kagome said quietly. "Someone who wouldn't be immediately charmed by Sango, but would see me instead."

Out of her sight, a thorn pricked Kagome's finger. The drop of blood slowly ran down the stem, landing with a soft _plock_ in the grass.

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Sesshoumaru no Samui Kokoro glanced at his younger half brother. "Out of sheer curiousity, why Kyoto?"

Inuyasha gave a casual shrug. "It seemed a nice place. Besides, all of the young ladies go there sooner or later." He licked his lips. "Can you imagine? All that fresh blood, just waiting?"

Sesshoumaru nodded sharply. "Good. I am glad there is some reasoning in your head. It has been a while since anyone visited the old castle."

Inuyasha gave a bark of laughter. "Crazy old villagers! So someone finally started heeding their warnings. Well, it had to happen sometime."

There was a loud thump on the boards above them. "Storm coming!" a man yelled.

Sesshoumaru gestured above. "Would you mind if I disposed of those foolish humans?"

Inuyasha leaned back. "Not at all. You know I prefer not to kill."

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "You have no idea what you're missing, little brother."

As the silence was broken by a bloodcurling scream from above, no doubt Sesshoumaru's doing, Inuyasha softly whispered, "The only one I ever intend to kill- is my bride."

AN: Well, how was that for a prologue? This is the second story in my Inuyasha: A Series of Gothic Tales series.

And if you haven't guessed that this is a vampire story, I really don't think you should be reading this.

And if you're curious, here are the rough translations of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's full names:

Inuyasha the Blood-Covered

Sesshoumaru of the Frost-Heart

Next chapter: Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru arrive in Kyoto, and Rin makes her appearence.

Oh yeah, and here's some random links to roleplays on Gaia Online:

My Gothic Beauty and the Beast RP:

http/ www. gaiaonline .com/ forum/ view topic.php?page1 &t9868310#5013 375 46

Phantom of the Opera RP I play Erik in:

http/ www. gaiaonline .com/ forum/view topic.php? t93 52527& page1

I'll shut up provided you review. (stares at you)


	2. Chapter 1: The Shipwreck

((A/N: Yes! I updated! It's true! So true! It's been two bleeding months of torture but I DID IT!  
Anyway, far too busy to actually do review responses, so I'll just say THANK YOU for the lovely reviews, much appreciated, and sorry for those who wanted it, there will be no Sess/Kag. I'm not a supporter of that, actually more of a loather, to tell the truth. Anyway, this will be done in a different format from 'Rose', by the way. I decided to steal Bram Stoker's format in his novel Dracula- this will be done almost totally in diary format. Strangely enough, credit for the outline/plot goes mostly to Mel Brooks...I was inspired by Dracula: Dead And Loving It (So yes, **TsukiOhkami**, it's fine if you're laughing, I was inspired by a comedy). After you're done with this chapter, read my end A/N, please!))

**_From the diary of Higurashi Kagome:_**

"Oh my dear, did you hear?"

A snatch of overheard conversation reached my ears, and I turned to hear the gossip better. After all, it had to be better than Kouga's endless prattle.

Ignoring him, I leaned further back to hear what the others were saying.

"That dreadful boat accident at Osaka Bay- only one survivor, and he was stark raving mad!"

I frowned. This was indeed news, especially seeing as Nagita Hojo-san was the manager of the most prestigious asylum in the area.

Poor Hojo-kun. It made me depressed just to think of him. Certainly, Miroku-san, pervert he might be, was indeed deeply in love with Sango-chan, and I would not have anything come between them.

But Hojo-kun, like it or not, had been in that position for some time.

Dear, dear, Hojo-kun. The three of us used to play together when we were younger. Of course, once I were ten, Sir Kajishi began to insist on us wearing fine kimonos and yutakas all the time, although since Sango was two years older than me, she'd been wearing them for some time. I got her hand-me-downs.

Not that I was bitter or anything. Oh, no. Just a bit depressed.

Really, Hojo-kun and I were perfect companions. We were both depressed, although Hojo-kun for far more substantial reasons. In case you haven't already grasped it, Hojo-kun loves Sango-chan.

A pity, really. Hojo-kun really is a brilliant young man, I mean splendidly brilliant. He's cured far more men than the Nagoya asylum, despite the fact that they get more press than his asylum. He treats his patients civilly, and sometimes even talks to them as if they were on the same mental level as he was. And for all this, he's only sixteen!

I'm afraid I can't bring myself to love him like that, however. Hojo-kun is a dear friend to me, and that's all. For some strange reason, I almost feel like it would be a betrayal to love him.

Why on earth would it be a betrayal to love sweet, miserable Hojo-kun?

It could not possibly be because of Kouga-kun, I don't think. After all, Kouga-kun may see _me_ as a prospective wife, but I certainly don't return his affections. Kouga-kun is a bit of a friend I suppose, but not like Hojo-kun.

After all, I have keen memories of Kouga-kun teasing me when I was little, and making me cry. It was only when I was thirteen, just two years ago! that he began declaring that I was to be his wife.

Ha. Over my dead body- which is all he seems to be interested in, at any rate. Although I suspect he'd prefer my living body.

Kouga-kun always brings me flowers, although never my favorites, as it happens, they're usually quite ugly. Sango-chan talks me into putting them in a vase- the same one always- but honestly, they're either all dying, or some weird completely tasteless combination.

And right now, he's trying to impress me by talking about his adventures in Hokkaido, although the man is so thick-headed that he doesn't even notice I'm writing in my diary as he speaks.

"Well, those Hakodata people were so superstitious, they just insisted that I would have to take garlic with me, up to visit that castle- fancy that! Don't they have the quaintest customs, Kagome?"

I shrugged. "More or less, Kouga-kun. But what happened when you reached the castle?'

He looked thoughtful. "Actually…I don't recall! But I must have eaten the garlic, because on my way out, I remember not noticing any on me."

Typical Kouga-kun. Can't remember anything to save his life.

I wonder if Hojo-kun would lock me up if I told him what had been happening lately? I visit him at his asylum frequently, and we usually tell each other of what has passed since we last saw each other.

But is it truly wise to tell the keeper of a sanitarium that you keep hearing…voices, in your head?

Well, now I've put it down. It's a relief that Kouga-kun is too stupid to read what I'm reading- not that he can decipher my handwriting, at any rate. I'm sure he'd have me sent off to the "loony bin" before I could say 'help'.

But truly…is there something wrong with me? Am I ill? Could I be imagining things out of jealousy of Miroku-kun and Sango-chan?

Perhaps it would help for me to recall the time this started. I was in the garden, night before last, and I pricked my finger on a rose. I was just called into the house, when a very clear, strong _male_ voice said "Why bother? Oh, I suppose you need a bed to sleep in, and all, but really, if you hate him all that much and can't stand his company, why not find another place to stay?"

I turned around, and looked in all directions, but there was _no one there!_ I asked out loud if anyone had said anything. The only one who replied was Sir Kajishi, who responded in his own voice, very different from the other one, "Yes, I told you to come in. You'll freeze, Kagome-chan."

I went back into the house, and several times called out in my mind to see if anyone was there. But there was again, no response.

Diary, am I losing my mind? Or perhaps it was just a trick of my subconscious, speaking my unacknowledged thoughts. After all, I used to dream of running away, before realizing that it was pointless. I'd never survive on my own, and besides, Sango-chan would be very unhappy.

Kouga-kun's story is over now. I'll write more when I am back in my room.

Later

Oh, these gala things are so very depressing! Well, perhaps I should explain that I have a slightly different feeling towards the adjective 'depressing' than others.

I don't mean that everyone slumped around the ballroom talking about death and so. Goodness, no. It's just that everyone is either happy, or pretending to be happy, and the near-absence of so much emotion makes me feel rather glum.

Hardly anyone is genuinely _happy_ at these things. If someone is being honored, or has been recently engaged (such as Sango-chan), then they might be. Otherwise, these parties tend to be something of a masquerade.

I suppose I should summarize what Kouga-kun said, just in case I forget later, and need to remember. Something about his exploits in northern Hokkaido (he was continually joking about the stupidity of the peasants), and all the superstitious legends around there.

I don't see what Kouga-kun has against superstitious legends. I always found them to be particularly interesting- give the place a little color, you know? Well, anyway, apparently in whatever part of Hokkaido he went to, they believe that the castle deep in the forest is inhabited by vampires, who are continually thirsting for blood, and never go a night without taking at least one victim. Whenever someone dies of unusual causes, or at a young age, it is always put up to the work of these vampires.

Supposedly hardly anyone returns from the castle, and those who do will find large gaps in their memory.

Kouga-kun says that there's absolutely nothing to the legend, since he himself was at that castle and is just fine. I can't help thinking that, well, if he did find something, he wouldn't remember, would he? Of course, being somewhat idiotic, as always, that didn't occur to him.

After the gala was over, I obtained permission from Sir Kajishi to visit Hojo-kun.

Poor, poor Hojo-kun. He's still devastated at the thought of Sango-chan marrying another. I've long ago given up telling him that Miroku-san is perfect for her, and a truly admirable young man, all lecherous intentions aside.

I suppose I should dedicate a small paragraph or two here to explaining what my thoughts on Miroku-san are, as I have mostly talked about Hojo-kun up to this point. Indeed I am sympathetic to the poor boy, but by no means on his side.

Miroku-san is a Moriyama, of course, which means he is very wealthy indeed. On the other hand, he is not stingy. He gives his money to many charities, and as a matter of fact, gave Hojo-kun enough money to buy off the mortgage on the asylum, so he (Hojo-kun) now owns the asylum completely. Miroku-san is also the patron of a fine Buddhist shrine, and frequently attends services there.

I have also been informed by Sango-chan that Miroku-san is an accomplished fencer. On the occasions that I met him, he was exceedingly polite and charming to me, although one of the times he shook my hand, for some strange reason, Sango-chan slapped him. I suppose she knows his unholy intentions better than I do, for I thought it seemed an innocent gesture, but when I asked Sango-chan about it later, she blushed.

At any rate, I couldn't help asking Hojo-kun about his new patient, from the Osaka Bay incident.

"Oh, you mean Karikata Jaken!" He cried, then looked grim. "Certainly, he is one of the most curious characters I have encountered in three years."

"Even when you were an apprentice at Nagoya?" I asked, incredulous.

"Certainly. It is very curious, what Jaken-san does. He has the most bizarre obsession with lives. He insists that he cannot eat any other food but flies and other insects, and consistently refers to his "master". He is mostly docile, except when I question him of this master of his.

At that point he flings himself against the wall, screeching 'Bad Jaken! Bad Jaken! Should not have said that, no, no I should not have, the Lord will be very mad at Jaken, yes, yes, yes, he will….'. And from that point one, I can gain nothing else more from him until the next day."

"He is certainly a curious lunatic." I said.

"Yes, indeed. I would show him to you, only I am afraid of offending your maidenly sensibilities."

It sickens me even to recount those words! "Maidenly sensibilities?" I scoffed. "Hojo-kun, it's me! I don't care how disgusting something is, what do you think I'm going to do, faint on you?"

"Still…."

And he refused to let me see the patient until another day! Ha, fancy that! He thinks he'll offend _me?_ I may well be insane myself, for all he knows, the silly turd!

Oh, well. At least I haven't heard the voice again. I'll write more at another date.

KAGOME

((A/N: Just one last note, if you want more of me after reading this, and don't feel like going to Gaia, check out KitsuneKagome411's 'A Twist of Fate'. I'm happy to say that fic is actually a conversion of a roleplay I took place in! So, after the line 'The raven-haired miko lay on a bed of hay' in the first chapter, from then on everything Inuyasha says does and thinks was actually written by me:D So I guess you can say I co-wrote it. Until I finish writing the next 5 or more page chapter...Ja ne! AND REVIEW!)) 


	3. Chapter 2: The Gala

A/N: May I just say, I pray that Flying-Cesia never, ever, reads this. Ever.

From the diary of Higurashi Kagome

Oh, it's happening again!

I am currently at a garden party, the prelude to another grand gala tonight- yes, another one! Ugh, I wish they'd stop and let me get some sleep. I could use a good twelve hours. Maybe I'd stop hearing voices then. Well, A voice, not voices.

It is so utterly strange- I never seem to mind the voice until it's gone. It seems perfectly ordinary, almost like a dream.

It spoke to me a little after the garden party (which Sir Kajishi is hosting) had started. I was just walking away to avoid the ever-so-unpleasant Kaede-baba, when quite suddenly, I heard the voice again.

"You're rather malleable, aren't you?" it said. "Clearly you didn't want to have this party, so why didn't you put up more of an objection?"

"For your information," I replied, since the strangeness of it hadn't sunk in yet, and no one was nearby, "I used to put up more of a fight. But nobody listens anyway, it's what Sango-chan thinks that matters."

There was a pause, and then- "Well, perhaps it's just as well. You might find galas to be better than you expected, sometimes. _You meet some curious and interesting people…_"

It was after that that I realized I was going mad again, and the voice stopped talking.

That was only ten minutes ago! Can I truly be mad?

But…since this is my diary, and no one can read my handwriting anyway, I suppose I may confide some details, which might be considered…rather improper.

It is…a rather _nice_ voice, to tell the truth. I mean, that it is not unpleasant to hear. Far from it. If the voice belonged to a person, and the person were a person of good character like Hojo-kun and Miroku-san, then I should very much enjoy talking to that person to hear the voice.

But what am I talking of! What kind of creature can talk to people in their minds, anyway? Kouga-kun mentioned that vampires were supposed to be capable of mind control- but it's hardly control, this. I mean, I'm not doing anything that-

oh, but! Wouldn't it be horrible if I discovered that while I thought I was hearing the voice I was really doing something dreadful? Oh, this is horrible superstitious of me, but I feel I simply must go and check with Sango-chan…

…Ten minutes later…

Oh thank heaven! She says that the only thing I was doing that was odd was apparently talking to myself in the corner a few minutes ago, and as for the other night I was simply in the garden.

I don't know what's come over me. I'm a wreck, I really am. And all this would be so much better if I could only get some sleep…

I'm sure I wouldn't be hearing voices _then._ Nobody hears voices (pleasing to the ear or not) after a good night's sleep!

…That evening…

The most bizarre thing has happened.

The gala started off in a fairly typical manner. Everyone in their very best, Sango-chan surrounded by young men vying for her affections, Miroku-san not too far away, as always.

My best, is, regretfully, merely this green kimono with the golden bamboo pattern. I feel that I've had this kimono for three years, and it can't possibly be fitting properly anymore. Yet I still end up wearing it to the best parties.

Kouga-kun was ill, thankfully (I feel like such a wretched person!), and Hojo-kun couldn't make it, again. A pity- I might have enjoyed his company.

It was just when I was thinking this, that _they_ entered. Two very strange young men, the like of which I have never seen before.

I was not the only one to notice them. Kobayashi Rin seemed quite interested in the older of the two, but my eyes immediately flew to the younger of the duo.

There was something so…strangely familiar about him.

That aside, it was his looks that drew me completely, I must admit.

His hair- I have never seen hair like it. It fell past his waist in a shimmering unearthly cascade of silver. His skin was so pale, it made my own seem bright. There was something about his hands I couldn't quite grasp. They fascinated me, but not in the way young ladies are supposed to be fascinated.

They seemed delicate and meticulous, and yet also strong and deadly. How this was so, I could not possibly explain. His nails were longer than was typical, surely. Almost like….claws.

As soon as I pen the word, I know I am talking foolishness again. Claws, indeed! I am getting like Kouga-kun, seeing the violence in everyone when I should see the genteel ways.

But violence seems so very, very, attractive when coupled with this particular individual.

And oh! such beautiful eyes. Such beautiful, beautiful, eyes. They are the most beautiful eyes in the world, I am certain. Not some ordinary color, but this strange, exotic amber.

It was not just the color that drew me. Never, in all my waking hours have I seen eyes with such wondrous depth. I felt I could surely sink into those gorgeous eyes if I wasn't careful, and that I wouldn't mind terribly if I did.

And furthermore, when he turned towards me, I saw something else that young ladies aren't supposed to respect. There was a deep passion in him, a way of doing things with an eager fervor, and with such enjoyment that is truly rare in times such as these.

To hell with the rules of being a lady. If he is as interesting a person as I sense, I would marry this young man.

He is no common person, either. He and his companion must have a good deal of money to purchase such fine garments. After all, a fine silken yutaka with such intricately woven patterns in red thread as he is wearing must costs more than triple my ensemble.

I have ducked into the corridor to pen all this- I must back to the gala, for fear I should miss any chance of speaking with this glorious young man!

…Still later…

Right after I returned, and had seated myself in a chair, he came up to me, and bowed.

"Do I have the honor of addressing Kajishi-dono, or Higurashi-dono?" he asked.

I am sure my face was pink. "Higurashi Kagome." I mumbled. "Sango-chan is the one over there surrounded by young men, in the good kimono."

I still can hardly believe it, but he _smirked_ at me! "Then it is good I did not make a mistake." he replied. "Kokoro Inuyasha. My half-brother and I came from Hokkaido."

"All the way to Kyoto?" I asked meekly. "Isn't that rather a long journey to make?"

"We had a particular argument with a certain young man from Kyoto." Inuyasha said calmly. "But it seems he is not here tonight."

He could have been referring to Kouga-kun, I suppose, but I'm sure there were plenty of other young men who hadn't been able to make it here tonight. Hojo-kun, for instance.

"Oh, so your business is vengeance?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "At a gala to celebrate the engagement of two young people?"

Inuyasha-san laughed. "The timing is rather inappropriate, so I decided in favor of attending to some…_other matters_."

There was something almost… seductive about the way that he looked at me then. I almost shivered in my kimono. Not a bad shiver, though. I didn't feel like someone had walked over my grave, to use one of Sango's favorite phrases. Just….a shiver. The kind of shiver they speak of in the kinds of novels young ladies aren't supposed to read.

Er….not that I read those sorts of novels. I Just sort of happened to accidentally flick through one of them, mistaking it for a book of etiquette.

I didn't hear the voice then, but I could almost swear I felt it whispering in my ears. Perhaps I have written before that the odd thing about the voice is that I never seem to perceive it as unnatural until it has left me. It almost feels as if the act of leaving is what is unnatural.

Inuyasha-san…I should not say this, but after talking to him I feel even more that I should marry him if he asked me.

Even if merely to defy Sir Kajishi!


	4. Chapter 3: The Obsession

A/N: Before you kill me for making such a short chapter after such a long wait, allow me to point out the second chapter I have provided. I also would like to add that, in this story anyway, Sango is the queen of understatement. Grammar is intentionally bad whenever it appears so. And thank you for all the reviews. I shall be trying to respond to them via private messaging or e-mail.

From the diary of Higurashi Kagome

I cannot seem to get Inuyasha-san out of my head. Whenever I resolve not to think about him, I realize I am not paying attention to whoever is speaking, and am thinking about not thinking about him.

Oh, but it is blissful thinking of him! The more I think of him, the more boring every other aspect of life seems to become. Everything I used to adore pales in comparison.

At first I thought it was something of a crush, but then I asked Sango-chan about how she feels about Miroku-san.

She smiled secretively. "I adore him." My friend said wistfully. "No matter how many times I see him, he never bores me. And his constant attention to other women certainly keeps me on my toes! I would rather he did not spend so much time looking after them, but I am glad to spend the rest of my life with him."

If that is what love is, I truly do not know what I am experiencing at the moment. I cannot imagine that Inuyasha-san would ever bore me, and I doubt that he is a ladies' man such as Miroku-san, but I simply cannot say that I adore him.

That is to say, I cannot say that I adore him in the way that one would say "I adore this hat", or "I adore daikon radishes". It seems too weak a word.

He _intrigues_ me. I can think of so many word to describe my feelings. Interest, curiosity, fascination...

Obsession.

Oh dear I must go I will write later.

...Later...

I am obsessed with Inuyasha-san.

It came to me when I realizes that I wanted the voice in my head to be Inuyasha-san. I cannot say I am utterly so, but unfortunately I harbor a rather unhealthily strong attraction towards a young man I have only met once, and that is something that I am sure would mark me as the wrong kind of girl, were this diary to be discovered. My entries are sure to stir up trouble.

Therefore, I must refrain from making many more of them. As foolish as it is to pen these words, diary, I say farewell.

At least, for now.


	5. Chapter 4: The Threat

A/N: Um...it makes perfect sense that Inuyasha has the power to use the contractions that Kagome lacks in his journal and around his brother. Because um...he does, and um...okay, it just has to be that way, so don't whine about continuity errors! He's also too rude to use honorifics for Sess, and too er...attracted to Kagome to use any for her. Feel free to guess on what That Problem is, by the way. Whoever guesses right gets a special mention in the next chapter- but I think it might be harder than I anticipated.

From the journal of Chimamire no Inuyasha

Sesshoumaru, you bastard.

If there's one thing I hate (and believe me, there's more than one), it's pressure. And that bastard older brother of mine has really put it on me now.

Last night I was literally dumped out of my coffin, which really annoyed me. I mean, mortals just don't understand how comfortable a coffin can be, what with the silk lining, and the soft pillow, and...augh, they're just so damn comfy!

So going straight from bliss like that to a stone cold floor was a disgustingly rude awakening.

"What the hell is your _problem_, Sesshoumaru?" I screamed, stamping my foot on the floor.

He completely ignored me, and instead threw some massive shit at me about how 'ridiculous it was that I had not yet known the death of a mortal', and went on on that thread for at least half a fucking hour.

"Yeah, yeah, you've told me all this before." I said, bored. "Is there any point in telling me again?"

"You are a coward, brother."

I bristled, but clenched my teeth and willed myself not to rise to the challenge. I had to remember at all costs that I was the one who still had some remains of a soul left, something which Sesshoumaru lacked.

I had done a good deal of reading back at the old castle, simply from boredom, and in my readings I had discovered an old tome of vampire lore. This in itself was not very astonishing. There were an obscene amount of 'definitive works' on the subject, taken as gospel truth by many, that were complete garbage.

On the other hand, in every aspect I knew, this one was correct. It was the first volume I had seen that both acknowledged that the making of an ugly vampire was one of the greatest taboos of our kind, and that we could choose to start or stop aging whenever we wished, based on our diet.

I was understandably worried when I read that every time a vampire takes life, the mortal drags a piece of their killer's soul to the grave.

This is why I never kill. Not out of some warped sense of duty to humans, but for my own selfish reasons. I am sure that my older brother has lost his soul already- and I know that I _never_ want to be a bastard like him.

It can get lonely, though. Not just melancholy lonely, but really soul-searingly painful. It's hard to imagine a worse death than being stuck with Sesshoumaru in a tower for the rest of my existence.

So I devoted myself to the disturbingly cliché quest for a bride. Not some idiotic lady with a heaving bosom who can say things at disturbingly high pitches, either, but someone I could seriously relate to. An equal, almost.

And while I was randomly casting my mind around one night, I found her.

Higurashi Kagome.

Perfect in every way- clever, pretty, young, disliking her present existence, and enough like me for me to _know_ things would work out excellently between us.

She was inconveniently placed in Kyoto, but I found a way to get there. Annoyingly enough, the bastard tagged along, but nothing's perfect. Least of all being undead.

It's funny, I don't actually recall being alive. I was so young when I was taken that the memory has completely passed out of my mind. It took me a good deal of time to realize I could stop aging whenever I wanted- as a result, I'm only about fifty years older than I look, which is roughly fifteen.

And, according to my bastard of a brother, none the wiser for it.

It was while I was distracted that Sesshoumaru gave his new threat. I actually had to do a double-take and ask him to repeat what he said.

"I _said_," Eyebrow madly twitching in the greatest display of emotion he knew how to give- "that if you do not kill a mortal, female or otherwise, by the end of this week, I will lock you up in the old crypt."

If it was possible, then I certainly turned several shades paler than usual.

"_What!_" I gaped at him. A horrible threat indeed- it not only guaranteed that I would starve, it also meant that I would be separated from my potential wife and age several decades through a combination of starvation and misery.

He slapped me across the face. "Repeating oneself is undignified. You should know that, Inuyasha."

I was irked enough to make a face at his back as he left the room. Immature, but highly satisfying.

So, if I understand it, I have a week (or less) to properly woo Kagome, or I'll never see her again.

Oh, and I have to bring her over to our side.

I have no idea why I feel so guilty all of a sudden. I was going to make my bride a vampire too, wasn't I? But now that I've met her...it just feels wrong somehow.

Maybe she'd be better off without me.

I can't think that! She was miserable before I came, I know that. It stands to reason she'll be miserable after I leave.

But...there's That Problem. I never worried about it much before. A lot of our kind regard it as a blessing, actually. But now I'm starting to wonder if I'll think it's such a small issue when Kagome is one of us. It would affect her a lot more than it would me, after all. And I hear it's very important to females.

Come to think of it, I'm not so sure it wouldn't bother me after a while either. After all, it's a rather expected product of marriage, isn't it?

Well, I won't have to worry at all about That Problem if she doesn't love me. For now it would probably be best if I just concentrated on winning her.

I know she's already attracted to me. I can tell by her scent, as well as the fact that she was talking more to me than anyone else in the room, male or female.

Of course, there's also a few other mannerisms that suggest it, among them the way she kept glancing my way and blushing while she was scribbing in a book that looked suspiciously like a diary. No one else noticed it but what kind of man would I be if I didn't notice the every movement of my intended?

Not that I'm sitting outside her window, watching her get undressed every night. Of course not.

Um...so maybe I am.

That sounded a lot better in my head than it looks on paper. I'm not some kind of pervert! There's nothing wrong with spying on your lover-to-be!

That _also_ sounded better in my head than it looks on paper. A whole lot better. I must be stooping to the level of that Miroku-san person I was hearing so much about in the ballroom. Only, as I hear it, he spies on everyone, whereas I am simply watching Kagome undress, which is a world of difference.

I can stop anytime I want! Except that I don't want.

She has this fascinating way of getting undressed, too. First she

Damn, the bastard is calling me again. Apparently there's some sort of opera we've been invited to by that Kajishi-sama fellow. Kagome had better be there.


	6. Chapter 5: The Scandal

((A/N: First order of business: KasperLassie and f.e.e.l in t.e.a.r.s got the Problem right. Next: If anyone complains about the ending of this chapter I will be really annoyed. I might even decide to delete the review if I'm feeling pissed enough- which means banning you from reviewing, if you're logged in. Guys, I leave stuff to your imagination. You decide what happens! I will obviously update eventually and you'll get some big hints, but if I choose not to write something, that's totally my beeswax, and not yours. Next: I feel it is my duty to inform you that I am going on week's vacation to New Orleans next week. It probably won't make a difference to my updating, but we'll see. If you want some vampire stuff in the meantime outside the fanfiction world, I've become an Anne Rice fan this year, and particularly reccomend **The Vampire Lestat** and **The Queen of the Damned**. Just read anything with M. de Lioncourt in it! You will be satisfied, I promise you. Check my profile for a little taste of Rice's style, which continually inspires me. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is great if you want something lighter page-wise and more romantic.))

**From the journal of Inuyasha no Chimamire**

You know, there's something about high society people. Everyone who has money troubles, or is just reasonably well off goes to maybe- I don't know, four parties a year? And less than that are fancy occasions.

On the other hand, this is the second gala this week held in the honor of Kajishi Sango-san, and I don't know about garden parties and that sort of thing, which they probably have as well. It's ridiculous.

But come to think of it, who am I to complain? The more fancy parties where they don't check the guest lists, the more chances to successfully enchant Kagome.

Oh, hell, I don't like that sentence. It makes it sound as if I have some sort of hold over her. Honestly and truly, I don't have any control over her stronger than any other man. Perhaps I have the slight advantage of being able to talk to her in her head...but she could expel me if she really wanted to. Which, I might add, she doesn't.

I didn't bother to find a change of clothes. It isn't as if I can accumulate sweat, or any other kind of negative odor (except, perhaps, the smell of death, if there really is such a thing).

To my personal delight, Sesshoumaru decided to find a fresh victim tonight, instead of accompanying me. He claims he prefers not to mix with filthy mortals.

Ha. As if. I know he liked all those women staring at him. He's an ego maniac, and there's nothing an ego maniac likes better than living (or undead) proof that they're better than everyone else.

Indeed, it takes one to know one. I won't deny that I am another ego maniac. I just don't feel the need to flaunt it at every possible moment, which, admittedly, is a bit of a contradiction. I know I'm better than him, and about 90 of the human race, but I don't make a hobby out of rubbing it in their face.

Mostly because, after a rough 200 years living with someone, you learn that it gets exhausting even for the undead to carry on eternal war when you could just as easily just make nasty faces at them behind their backs.

Yet another reason why making Kagome mine will be bliss. I won't have to deal with that bastard anymore!

I followed Kagome's scent to the particular gala of tonight- not awfully hard, considering that half of Kyoto was attending it, and, even better, she tends to move towards the side of the room, away from everyone else, making it that much easier to find her.

Well, all right, _usually_ this is the case. To my annoyance, once I got inside the ballroom, there she was having a conversation with three other women! Of all the bloody nights for her friends to show up, it had to be tonight, didn't it?

"Oooh, Kagome-chan, doesn't Moriyama-san look handsome tonight?"

I let out an involuntary snarl towards one of Kagome's friends. No one should be directing her attention towards another male!

"I don't know. I suppose. He's Sango-chan's fiancé, anyway, Ayumi, so you had better restrict yourself to looking," Kagome replied to my intense relief.

"You haven't got any taste whatsoever, Kagome-chan," her other friend teased. "I still can't believe you thought Satoshi-kun was ugly!"

"That was two years ago!" Kagome protested. "And he was, too! Worse yet, he had an awful personality. How can you possibly be attracted to someone like that?"

"Don't ask us- try the tingling feeling in the pits of our stomachs whenever he flipped his hair!" the last woman giggled. I winced at her shrill voice.

In fact, I was seriously contemplating breaking my vow not to kill when a man with red hair entered the room.

"Oooh, Nagita-san!" All three women chorused, and hurried over to pester him, leaving my Kagome alone at the side of the room.

I quietly stepped behind her and watched her lower her head and fiddle with the sleeve of her kimono.

"You weren't talking to those women the other night," I said.

She started, and then turned around. "Ah, Inuyasha-san! You startled me," she said meekly. "I don't really have that much in common with them, but we talk sometimes. They're nice enough girls, once you get to know them."

"I doubt the effort would be worth it."

Kagome let out a short laugh. "Well, they would treat you differently then they treat me, obviously."

I stepped closer to her, quirking an eyebrow. "Explain."

It was amusing to watch her unconsciously raise her hand to her mouth so she could nervously bite at a fingernail. "Well, they are rather preoccupied with ogling men- which is probably what they would do to you."

"Are you saying I am ogle-worthy?"

She turned nearly as dark as fresh blood. "That...that was not precisely what I was implying..."

I feigned hurt. "You were implying that they had no taste, and therefore they would descend on me?"

Kagome was horrified. "No, no! Not at all!"

"Then I must admit complete puzzlement as to what the implied message was," I retorted. "Either you find me attractive, or you don't, there is no middle ground here, Miss Higurashi."

Ah, now I'd run her into a corner. She'd have to admit what I had already guessed- or, there was a slight chance that she would snap, and tell me that she was simply trying to spare my feelings in the matter.

As the silence stretched on, my paranoia increased. Despite the way I talk to Kagome, I do not have very much confidence regarding females.

After all, why else would I approach her first in her mind? I wanted to make sure she was at least partially familiar with me before she saw me. Once I saw her with my own eyes, rather than through telepathy, I gained the confidence to approach her with something akin to charm.

Perhaps she was not ready...perhaps I would have to let some feeble mortal drag a piece of my soul to the grave after all.

"I...must admit that I am far less than adverse to you physically, Kokoro-san," Kagome spoke up shyly. "But I hope you will not think less of me for it."

My undead heart leaped.

"It has been a long time since I encountered a woman of modesty, Kagome-san. I only hope you will not think me too forward in pressing the issue."

She blushed again.

"Ugh, how disgusting!" A woman's piercing voice cut in. I could hear her, but didn't know if Kagome could. "Higurashi-san has been coquetting around Kokoro-sama at every function possible."

There was a pause while her partner replied that she had only noticed us together at the first gala and this one.

"Didn't you notice, Chigusa? They've been together at _all_ of the galas, not to mention at the opera yesterday. The only time Higurashi-san socializes with anyone else is at the garden parties!"

I wanted to wring that stupid woman's neck at the mortified expression on Kagome's face. She could clearly hear what the other woman was saying.

"They quite clearly do not think I am a woman of modesty," she whispered.

"You are," I said harshly. "The truth is what matters, not what anyone says about it."

She turned her face to the floor. "People will not say that..."

I boldly grabbed her shoulder and tilted her chin up. "But why would you care?" I echoed the same in her head, to emphasize my point.

Kagome's eyes flashed with a rebellious streak. Her features widened into a smile. "To hell with them!" she whispered. "If they're going to talk about us, why walk with care around socially acceptable behavior?"

I was thrilled at what she was implying- if I was reading her right.

"Shall we leave the ballroom?" I asked, offering her my arm.

She accepted it, the smirk still present on her face. "I believe we shall."


	7. Interlude: The Doctor

A/N: Okay, it's one thirty in the morning, I've been washing dishes in my pajamas for two hours, and the kitchen reeks, I tell you, REEKS of garlic. If I didn't know better, I'd say that one of the parental units was trying to exorcise something before they left for California. Therefore, the garlic takes responsibility for the shortness of this chapter. I'm happy to say the next chapter is already in production.

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**Dictated from a record left by Nagita Houjou**

There's something in the air. I know it, my friends know it, even the lunatics know it. More than one voice has been shouting about death lately. The more religiously inclined have been saying their prayers, chanting their rosaries, praying the gods, whatever they can do.

Even Kagome-chan, bless her soul, has been acting strangely. She's normally such a quiet girl. But there's been something odd in her eyes. I can't place it. The closest I can come to describing it is... anticipation. Excitement.

In some strange way it reminds me of a mood she'd come into sometimes, when we were little. The group of us children would be playing, pushing each other, laughing, and suddenly she'd turn away. "Leave me alone," she'd say. "I don't feel like playing anymore."

She was a peculiar child, now that I think of it. Sweet, often naive, but odd. There was a story Sir Kajishi used to tell, about when Kagome-chan was having a temper tantrum. Right in the middle of the normal whinings, she started shouting, "I want to go home! I want to go home! This isn't home!"

I digress from my point.

Perhaps the crux of this problem is that Sango-dono has taken suddenly ill. Sir Kajishi called me in to take a look at her.

It was...dreadful.

I couldn't figure out for the life of me what was wrong with her. She was paler than Kagome-chan, and had no energy whatsoever. The poor girl was having trouble remembering people's names- I can't tell you the pain I felt when she turned to me and asked, "Who are you?"

Of course, I forced a smile and replied, "Nagita Houjou- your doctor, and a friend."

She smiled her lovely smile, "Well, then, thank you for coming."

Sango-dono kept mumbling something about 'those cold yellow eyes'. When I asked her about it, she responded in a dead tone, "I remember nothing."

Most of all, I noticed there were two tiny puncture marks on her neck. They could have been bug bites, but it seems almost too coincidental.

There was only one thing I could think of to do.

Call Kaede-sensei.

I saw Kagome-chan as I left the house. She looked pensive, as if she was pondering something in great detail.

"Hojo-kun!" she called out. "Is she going to be all right?"

I could see the worry in her eyes.

"I don't know," I responded honestly. "I'm going to bring my teacher to see her tomorrow."

There was something else to her stance as well. She was biting a fingernail- a habit I haven't seen in years.

"Hojo-kun," she blurted out, "did she tell you about the eyes also?"

I nodded. "But when I asked her about it, she became unresponsive."

The air hung between us. I got the distinct impression that she was hiding something.

"I'm scared, Hojo-kun," she said softly, so softly that I almost missed the words.

I did my best to provide a comforting smile. "Everything will turn out all right in the end," I said, though I had no such conviction.

Kagome-chan looked sad again. "I hope so," she murmured.

**The response penned by Korosu Kaede**

Nagita-chan,

Of course I will come to Kyoto, if my old bones can take the trip. It all sounds very interesting, and I believe I know the cause, but I must see Miss Kajishi to be entirely sure. I will arrive on the twenty-first, but in case my suspicions are correct, you must take these precautions before I arrive: Never let the lady be alone, not even for a minute. Keep her away from windows and moonlight, and make sure to season all her food with garlic.

I know you will be questioning my sanity at this point, boy, but do as I ask. There are things you do not understand, Hojo-kohai, and perhaps may never understand. Please await my arrival before you do anything drastic, but obey my instructions or Kajishi-jo's illness could become fatal.

- Korosu Kaede


End file.
